Africa-Press – Angola. Technicians from several national institutions are receiving training on crimes against wildlife, this Monday, in the city of Lobito, Benguela province.
In a two-day multisectoral workshop, professionals from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), the General Tax Administration (AGT), the Criminal Investigation Services, the National Police and the Ministry of the Environment are present.
According to the training programme, participants will be trained in matters such as combating illegal wildlife trade, crimes against protected species, poaching in the country’s national parks and handling evidence.
The director of the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation Areas (INBAC), Albertina N’zuzi, informed that this initiative is due to the need to train technicians capable of stopping crimes against wildlife.
According to her, it started in 2018 but in the following year there was a need to extend to all provinces of the country, having already passed through Cuando Cubango and Luanda, and in August of this year there will be a colloquium at the highest level, with all institutions involved in this process.
Specifically referring to wildlife crimes, the director considered them “serious”, insofar as they involve others, such as money laundering, the very security of the State and, in addition, it enriches many people.
“Taking this situation into account, we begin to have species on the verge of extinction and the emblematic one (giant sable) is diminishing. If we have technicians trained in the various institutions, gradually, we will be able to combat this type of transnational crime”, he opined.
Asked about preventive measures taken by her institution, she advanced that there are already some technicians from the PGR, SIC and AGT who have been confiscating the material in possession of the traffickers.
As a result, citizens are already being tried in the Courts for this type of crime and, consequently, offenders are gradually becoming aware that crimes against wildlife are punishable by law.
Albertina N’zuzi admitted that there are still many constraints in the fight against these crimes, due to the fact that artefacts of wild species continue to pass through airports, giving the example of ivory as one of the most coveted, which comes out raw or in worked form.
Particularly on this material, he made a point of referring to the seizure of a container in Vietnam, a few months ago, with seven tons of the product, leaving Angola, passing through Singapore.
“Right now, the Ministry of the Environment, through the National Institute for Biodiversity and Conservation Areas and the administrative institutions of those countries are working to determine the causes of the departure and route of this container”, he informed.
The multisectoral workshop is being supported financially by the US Embassy in Angola and technically by the US Non-Governmental Organization TRAFFIC.
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